I’m a little confused. Here’s my dilemma: When I hear the word “suicide” mentioned I think of one taking one’s own life. That much I think I have correct. When I think of the term “physician-assisted” suicide it seems to change the basic essence of the meaning, as it seems to redefine the word in that suicide is now a group process that someone is giving their blessing to the cessation of life? Do I have that right?

Why, in our society, do we think that we have to continually re-invent the wheel?

We have (and continue to do so) done this in ethics, where relativism says there is no right/wrong; we have done this in the redefinition of the marriage and family structure; we have done this in history as to change the outcome to justify our beliefs.

Another quandary is this: How do we envision, i.e., what goes through our minds when we hear the word “suicide” used in its various contexts?

A rock star commits suicide; how is that looked at by fans? Does it yield more or less notoriety/popularity? Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among teenagers; it’s been reported that suicide is on the rise in families of members of the U.S. Armed Services; increasingly, more violent crimes are being committed by persons who choose afterward to end their own lives.

Why does it seem that suicide is honorable in some cases, while tragic in others?

Do you see the confusion that results from this issue?

Is life, that God-given thing we talk about in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and sacred Scripture precious or not? One other question is that of eternity, which might be a moot point to some, but what if it is true, according to God? Does this fit into the conversation?

Finally, God put some of us on this earth to take care of those who need the assistance. That’s His job description. We’re not trying to put ourselves out of a job.